Debates of April 20th, 2021

Public Services and Procurement

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that we are operating in a very competitive global environment, and not withstanding that environment, we are continuing to bring vaccines into this country by the millions: a million vaccines of Pfizer per week in April, two million vaccines of Pfizer per week in May and 2.5 million vaccines over five weeks in June. That is just from one supplier.

We also have AstraZeneca, we have J&J and we have Moderna coming in to supplement our diversified portfolio of vaccines. We will continue bringing vaccines in for all Canadians so that all Canadians have access to a vaccine—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Prince Albert.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Mr. Speaker, vaccine centres across Saskatchewan are closing due to lack of supply. Regina is closed until May, Saskatoon is closed right now and pharmacies that are supposed to start delivering vaccines this week are now unable to do so. Saskatchewanians are holding up their end of the bargain by lining up to get vaccinated because their lives and livelihoods are at stake.

When will the Liberal government finally keep up its end by ensuring a reliable supply?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, there is a reason why we are in within the top three countries for vaccine administration in the G20. It is because our vaccines are continuing to come into the country by the millions. It is because of our diversified portfolio. It is because we will be continuing to bring vaccines into the country for all Canadians.

We have accelerated 22 million doses of vaccine from later quarters to earlier quarters and that will allow all Canadians to have access to a vaccine prior to the end of September. That is our commitment and we will stick to it.

Budget

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, seniors can see right through the government's budget tactics.

They want a permanent old age pension increase starting at 65. Ottawa is offering a single vote-seeking $500 payment, and that is only for those 75 and over. It is clear to seniors that the federal government is dividing them into two age-based classes and that it is once again postponing pension increases indefinitely.

That is why the Bloc is amending the budget to include an immediate pension increase at 65. Will the government support our amendment out of respect for all seniors?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, one thing we have in common with members on the other side of the House is respect for seniors. I am very proud of the fact that 25% fewer seniors live in poverty now than when we came to power. We chose to target seniors 75 and over because their needs are greatest.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, seniors will not be fooled. They realize that, by sending a one-time cheque this summer for $500, the government is trying to buy votes rather than increase pensions for all seniors.

After everything they have been though during the pandemic, they thought the federal government got it. They expected Ottawa to finally do something about their lost purchasing power. They expected Ottawa to understand that they are the ones most affected by COVID-19. What they did not expect was to be used as pawns in a potential election.

Why is the government so stubbornly refusing to increase pensions for those 65 and over?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we fully understand the needs of seniors, and we understand the tragedy that was COVID-19. That is why the Canadian Armed Forces went into long-term care homes to save the lives of Canadian seniors.

As for old age security, this is a permanent increase for all seniors in Canada who are 75 and older.

Public Services and Procurement

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Mr. Speaker, documents show that the federal government is paying over $8 per dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. South Africa is paying $5.25, the U.S. $4 and the European Union only $2.15. Given our high price, one would think Canada would have a vaccine delivery guarantee.

Instead, pharmacies in my riding are struggling to confirm appointments for seniors because of inadequate supply from the federal government, but in neighbouring Maine, anyone 18 years and up can get vaccinated in a pharmacy today.

Could the Prime Minister tell us when New Brunswick pharmacies will have enough vaccines to help as many families as in the state of Maine?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite well knows, our vaccine contracts are confidential, but not breaching them is a priority, especially when every country is in a race for vaccines. Each country negotiates its own contract and different aspects come into it. AstraZeneca has said that its vaccines are sold at not-for-profit prices, and we negotiated in good faith with it.

We are continuing to work to accelerate doses to Canada. We will not rest until this job is done.

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr Speaker, COVID hot spots, designated high-priority vaccination areas, of Thornhill, Vaughan and Markham in York Region have for weeks now experienced a serious reduction in vaccine supplies. Clinics large and small have closed due to a lack of supply, new eligible groups cannot be accommodated and the region is unable to expand protection of residents and essential workers in manufacturing.

In desperation, Ontario's Premier Ford is now reaching out to the European Union, India and the U.S. What is the Liberal government doing now to backfill its blundering unsecured vaccine procurement?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that the opposition refuses to acknowledge that vaccines are coming into our country by the millions, that we have 13.4 million doses distributed, that almost a quarter of all Canadians have received at least one dose and that we sit in the top three of G20 countries. Why? Because we continue to bring vaccines into the country by the millions for the provinces, for the territories and for all Canadians. This is a competitive environment and we will continue operating in it for all Canadians.

Public Safety

[Chris Lewis, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, recently I spoke with the CBSA union president and he advised me that 540 border agents and staff at the Windsor-Detroit border did not have access to vaccines. This jeopardizes the health of those front-line workers. Further, an outbreak could shut down the busiest border crossing in North America and threaten our already fragile supply chain, another glaring example of the Liberals' failed vaccine program.

When will the minister take action to provide vaccines to these essential workers?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, I share the concern that our border service officers, who have done an extraordinary job throughout this pandemic and are doing important work to keep Canadians safe, should be prioritized for vaccinations. That is why we have reached out to the provincial health authorities in the provinces right across the country, and all those provinces have responded. We have just heard quite recently that Ontario is beginning to prioritize those workers as well, and we are glad to see that step is now taking place.

Those people should be vaccinated. They do important work for Canadians and we are glad that the provinces are doing the job of providing the vaccinates to them on the basis of priority.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Lyne Bessette, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in the spring of 2020, the rate of livestock slaughter slowed considerably.

This has forced producers to keep their animals longer and has resulted in significant additional costs for them. Our government is committed to supporting the agricultural industry by helping to maintain and adapt financial tools for agricultural risk management to cope with climate change and market conditions.

Can the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food tell us about the measures that have been implemented in Quebec in that regard?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, a few days ago, I announced, jointly with the Quebec minister of agriculture, fisheries and food, the creation of the Canada-Quebec livestock assistance initiative under the agrirecovery program to provide financial support to the cattle, pig and large game industries.

A total of $21.8 million will help to mitigate the costs associated with keeping animals on the farm because of processing slowdowns, as well as the costs associated with ensuring animal welfare and our food security.

Public Safety

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness has suggested that his ill-conceived firearms buyback program will cost between $300 million and $400 million. He has suggested that they are expecting to buy back roughly 150,000 to 200,000 firearms. Many of the firearms that the Liberals arbitrarily selected for their ban were non-restricted, such as firearms typically used for hunting or around the farm.

What data was used by the minister to determine the cost and scope of his buyback?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, we promised Canadians that we would strengthen gun control to keep Canadians safe, while the Conservatives obviously promised the gun lobby that they would weaken gun control. That is why we brought forward measures last May to prohibit weapons that had no place in society.

We are working now with legislation introduced through Bill C-21 to make sure that none of those weapons can ever be traded, sold or used in Canada again. Those measures are necessary and strongly supported right across the country. That is the right thing to do to keep Canadians safe.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

Mr. Speaker, that is an answer to a question, but it was not an answer to my question.

Many experts anticipate that this buyback is going to be a multi-billion dollar boondoggle that does not have any meaningful impact on public safety. We have seen this before from the Liberals. Unfortunately, for law-abiding firearms owners, the government cares about pushing its ideology and not about taking concrete steps to actually address public safety.

What data did the Liberal government rely on when determining how many individuals would likely participate in their buyback program?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, the member's question gives me an opportunity to remind him that the majority of these weapons were, in fact, registered because they were restricted, but we know that many of them were not. There is no gun registry in the country. It is one of the reasons in the legislation we have brought forward that we will require people who are in possession of these now prohibited weapons to register them properly, so we can have a precise calculation of where these guns are.

It is also equally important to acknowledge that these are weapons that are not used for hunting or sport purposes. They are used as tactical weapons to kill people. That is why they have no place in our country, and we are removing them.

Public Services and Procurement

[Ziad Aboultaif, Conservative, Edmonton Manning, AB]

Mr. Speaker, during our international trade committee meeting, I was appalled to hear from our life sciences industry about the lack of consultation and coordination by the Liberal government.

As the pandemic began and worsened, contracts worth millions of dollars were signed outside Canada, while turning a blind eye to our local vaccine manufacturers.

Will the government admit that it ignored our local vaccine manufacturers, that we have a shortage of vaccine supply and that, as a result, we are now in this third wave?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is a member for whom I have enormous respect, but what he said could not be further from the truth. We, indeed, have invested more than $1 billion. What we should celebrate today is that in the budget that was presented yesterday by the Minister of Finance, and as she just said, we are investing an additional $2.2 billion in biomanufacturing. We know there is a lot of talent in Canada. We know there is a lot of expertise in Canada. We are going to continue to invest in made-in-Canada solutions to protect the health and safety of Canadians.

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, as we enter the third wave of the pandemic, tremendous advances have been made in the past 12 months with the creation and distribution of vaccines. Our government has worked tirelessly to procure and distribute millions of doses of vaccines.

In my home province of British Columbia, residents as young as 40 years old are eligible to book their appointments. Provinces across the country are also ramping up their vaccine rollout as we speak. We are well on our way to getting vaccines into the arms of all Canadians who wish to receive one.

Could the minister please update the House on the percentage of Canadians who have received vaccines to date and the progress of procurement for future shipments to ensure health care systems across the—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. minister.

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, I am thrilled to say that just over 24% of Canadians have received at least one dose of vaccine.

In a very competitive global environment, where every country is struggling to receive the same product, we have accelerated the delivery of approximately 22 million vaccines to arrive in an earlier quarter. In the first quarter, we received 3.5 million more doses of vaccine than originally targeted. We are on track to receive nearly 50 million doses by the end of Q2. We will not stop until all Canadians have access to vaccines.